French Justice Minister: Front National Sees 'Blacks into Branches of the Trees, Jews into the Ovens'

Christiane Taubira, French Justice Minister

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The black French justice minister, who was labelled a monkey by a Front National, is being sued by the party over the 'outrageous' claim that it is racist and homophobic

Marine Le Pen's far-Right Front National (FN), which had to jettison a party member for comparing Christiane Taubira to a monkey, now plans to sue the minister for her "outrageous" claim that the FN is racist and homophobic.

The monkey comparison was made by Anne-Sophie Leclere, an FN candidate for France's spring's municipal elections in a small town in the northeastern Ardennes region.

She posted a photomontage on her Facebook page of a baby monkey, with the caption: "At 18 months", next to a photo of Miss Taubira, with the caption: "Now".

She denied any racist intent but last week told the investigative TV programme that unearthed the montage: "I'd rather see her (Taubira) in the branches of a tree than in the government." » | Rory Mulholland, Paris | Sunday, October 20, 2013